Privacy Policy

Last updated: 20/07/2026

1. Who we are

This Privacy Policy is issued by the International Chair in Bioethics (“we”, “us” or “our”), an association/organisation with its address at University of Porto, Placido Costa Street, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal. For the purposes of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (General Data Protection Regulation, “GDPR”), we act as the controller of the personal data described in this Privacy Policy.

You can contact us regarding any privacy matter at info@internationalchairbioethics.org.

This Privacy Policy applies to the website available at internationalchairbioethics.org (the “Website”) and to the personal data we process in connection with it. It should be read together with our Cookie Policy, which describes the cookies and similar technologies used on the Website.

2. What personal data we collect

Depending on how you interact with us and with the Website, we may collect the following categories of personal data:

  1. a) Identification and contact data: name, email address and any other details you provide when you contact us, for example by email or through a contact form on the Website;
  2. b) Communication data: the content of your messages and our correspondence with you;
  3. c) Technical and usage data: information collected through cookies and similar technologies when you browse the Website, such as IP address, browser type and version, device type, pages visited, date and time of access, and approximate location derived from your IP address. This data is collected through Google Analytics and the Meta Pixel only with your consent, as described in our Cookie Policy;
  4. d) Newsletter data: email address and subscription preferences, if you subscribe to our newsletter or mailing list;
  5. e) Event and activity data: information you provide when you register for events, conferences, courses or other activities we organise, such as name, email address, institutional affiliation and country.

We do not intentionally collect special categories of personal data (such as data concerning health, religious beliefs or political opinions) through the Website, and we ask that you do not send us such data unless it is strictly necessary.

3. Purposes and legal bases of processing

We process your personal data for the following purposes and on the following legal bases:

  1. a) To respond to your enquiries and communicate with you: processing is based on our legitimate interest in responding to messages addressed to us (Article 6(1)(f) GDPR) or, where applicable, on steps taken at your request prior to entering into an agreement (Article 6(1)(b) GDPR);
  2. b) To operate, secure and improve the Website: processing of technical data strictly necessary for the functioning of the Website is based on our legitimate interest in providing a functional and secure website (Article 6(1)(f) GDPR); analytics and marketing data collected through Google Analytics and the Meta Pixel are processed only on the basis of your consent (Article 6(1)(a) GDPR), which you can withdraw at any time through the cookie settings on the Website;
  3. c) To send you our newsletter and information about our activities: processing is based on your consent (Article 6(1)(a) GDPR), which you can withdraw at any time through the unsubscribe link included in each communication or by contacting us;
  4. d) To manage registrations for events and activities: processing is based on the performance of a contract or on steps taken at your request (Article 6(1)(b) GDPR);
  5. e) To comply with legal obligations to which we are subject (Article 6(1)(c) GDPR);
  6. f) To establish, exercise or defend legal claims, where necessary, based on our legitimate interest (Article 6(1)(f) GDPR).

4. Who we share your personal data with

We do not sell your personal data. We may share personal data with the following categories of recipients, strictly to the extent necessary:

  1. a) Service providers acting as processors on our behalf, such as website hosting providers, email service providers, and the providers of the tools referred to in our Cookie Policy (Usercentrics A/S, which provides Cookiebot; Google, which provides Google Analytics; and Meta, which provides the Meta Pixel). These providers process personal data in accordance with our instructions and applicable data processing agreements;
  2. b) The University of Porto or partner institutions, where necessary for the organisation of joint activities and always in accordance with applicable law;
  3. c) Public authorities, courts or other third parties, where disclosure is required by law or necessary to protect our rights.

5. International data transfers

Some of our service providers, namely Google and Meta, may process personal data on servers located outside the European Economic Area, including in the United States. Where such transfers take place, they are carried out on the basis of an adequacy decision of the European Commission (including the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, where the provider is certified) and/or appropriate safeguards such as the European Commission’s Standard Contractual Clauses. You may request further information about the safeguards applied by contacting us at info@internationalchairbioethics.org.

6. How long we keep your personal data

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, in accordance with the following criteria:

  1. a) Enquiries and correspondence: kept for as long as necessary to handle your enquiry and, thereafter, for a reasonable period for follow-up and record-keeping purposes, generally no longer than two years after the last contact;
  2. b) Analytics and marketing data: kept in accordance with the retention periods indicated in our Cookie Policy and in the cookie declaration available on the Website;
  3. c) Newsletter data: kept until you withdraw your consent or unsubscribe;
  4. d) Data processed to comply with legal obligations: kept for the periods required by applicable law.

When personal data is no longer necessary, it is deleted or anonymised.

7. Your rights

Under the GDPR, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

  1. a) Right of access: to obtain confirmation as to whether we process your personal data and to receive a copy of it;
  2. b) Right to rectification: to have inaccurate or incomplete data corrected;
  3. c) Right to erasure: to have your data deleted in the circumstances provided for by law;
  4. d) Right to restriction of processing: to limit the processing of your data in certain circumstances;
  5. e) Right to data portability: to receive the data you provided to us in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format, where processing is based on consent or a contract and carried out by automated means;
  6. f) Right to object: to object to processing based on our legitimate interests, on grounds relating to your particular situation;
  7. g) Right to withdraw consent: where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before the withdrawal.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at info@internationalchairbioethics.org. We will respond within the time limits established by the GDPR. We may need to verify your identity before acting on your request.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority, in particular the Portuguese data protection authority, Comissão Nacional de Proteção de Dados (CNPD), at www.cnpd.pt.

8. Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, destruction or alteration, taking into account the nature of the data and the risks involved. However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

9. Automated decision-making

We do not use your personal data to make decisions based solely on automated processing, including profiling, that produce legal effects concerning you or similarly significantly affect you.

10. Children

The Website is not directed at children under the age of 16, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe that a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us so that we can delete it.

11. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time, for example to reflect changes in our activities or in applicable legal requirements. The updated version will be published on this page with a revised “Last updated” date. We encourage you to review this page periodically.

12. Contact

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or about how we process your personal data, please contact us at:

International Chair in Bioethics
University of Porto, Placido Costa Street, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal
Email: info@internationalchairbioethics.org